Hey you guys, Phoebe here from Little Grey Box with Matt behind the camera
Are you planning a New Zealand Motorhome road trip?
(music)
We just didn't one ourselves and we had an incredible time
So today we thought we would share with you
everything we think you need to know to plan an amazing adventure all of your own
If you haven't already be sure to go back and watch all three of our on the
road vlog episodes from this trip you guys cuz it's gonna give you a sense of
how much fun you're going to have Now our trip was really focused on ski
fields we really wanted to get as much snow as possible and add in a few
adventure activities and scenic spots as well
I would recommend figuring out what
you want your trip to be about first and then devising your itinerary around that
You might be interested in hiking, adventure activities, food and wine or all of the above
So here's a look at our itinerary
We started in Christchurch
then we headed to Twizel where we spent one night, then we headed down to
Wanaka for two nights, next stop was Queenstown for two nights
followed by one night in Milford Sound then we went back to Queenstown for
another two nights and up to Lake Tekapo for our very last night before
returning the RV the very next day
Now of course you don't have to collect your
motorhome from Christchurch like we did there are plenty of collection
points dotted all over New Zealand's South and North Islands you guys so be sure to
pick one that works best for your itinerary and your travel plans
Last year when I was researching our Canadian Rockies Road Trip I came across a brand
called Motorhome Republic and this year when we started planning our roadtrip I
decided to reach out to them and see if they would want to work together because
I really liked what I saw last year and what I saw this year when I started
researching New Zealand motorhomes now Motorhome Republic you need to think of
them as like a Skyscanner for motorhomes so I think the word is aggregate
they pull together lots of different motorhomes in the one place so that you
can see all your different options, their website has so much information when I
researching theirs was just the most informative, everything was upfront
everything about the vehicles was clear what's included what's not there were no
hidden costs it just made sense to me Not only that but their rates were
really good you guys their prices were the cheapest I saw. We went with a Maui
Platinum River Motorhome and this is like your deluxe primo six berth that
means six people motorhome and it was fantastic. Obviously the size of motorhome
and the kind you decide to go with is going to depend on how many people are
with you and your budget We were three fully grown adults two
stinky boys and me in a motorhome and the six berths was an amazing size for
us it was so spacious you get to pull up wherever you like in New Zealand and you
can bring out your picnic chairs make your lunch and sit there in nature and
just soak it all in it was just an incredible way to see New Zealand and I
ten out of ten recommend
There are a few different options when it
comes to parking your RV overnight in New Zealand so let's go through those
You can camp free of charge on public land that isn't a recognized campground
you guys that is freedom camping the only thing is you can't park wherever
you like and if you do park in the wrong spot you do risk a significant fine I
know people who have gotten them it isn't fun if you do think that freedom
camping is going to be the option for you you should definitely download the
Campermate app. With Campermate you can zoom in on the New Zealand map and find
all the freedom camping spots that's going to help you pre plan where you're
going to stay and make sure you avoid getting any pesky fines a couple of
things to think about with freedom camping I believe it can get pretty busy
with the freedom camping sites especially in summer so bear in mind
that you might need to get there early to jag a spot your motorhome runs on a
12-volt battery that needs to be fully recharged every one to two days and
unfortunately driving your motor home probably isn't going to charge it up
enough so you will need to still check into a few RV parks here or there so you
can recharge the battery fully lastly you guys just keep in mind in winter it
is going to be pretty cold so not having access to that continual power
a little bit challenging in terms of getting a really nice hot shower that's
a little bit longer or getting your heater on and things like that so just
decide whether or not it's best for you we decided not to go with freedom
camping simply because we had the budget to spend on holiday parks
one step up from freedom camping is Campable think of it as the Airbnb of the camping and
motorhome world so basically people that have private properties that feel they
have this space for motorhomes to pull up on they list these on the Campable
website and we found that the Campable sites
were cheaper than the RV parks and the holiday parks. We decided to give Campable a
go we booked two spots one just outside Queenstown and the other at Lake Tekapo
we went to the first site and it was absolutely beautiful the host was
fantastic and it was really really gorgeous but here's the thing it was a
little bit outside of town a little further than we wanted to be away there
was no powered site hookup which we knew in advance but when we got there
the reality kind of set in after we'd been spoiled at Holiday Parks and we
realized it was going to be a bit of a rough night because we couldn't get away
from each other to go to the shower blocks and have a nice long hot shower
we didn't feel like we could run the heater all night we were very worried
about the 12 volt battery and things just didn't feel quite right for us
I think Campable is awesome I think it's amazing I think it's a great idea it's
great for money-saving but I also think it's probably best suited to summer you guys
I think unless you're like a hardcore outdoor adventure person just go with
the RV and holiday parks if you've got the budget there are so many great
holiday parks set up in New Zealand it's like the country was just made for
motorhoming and the people that run the RV parks know exactly what you need
we stayed at powered sites everywhere we went and we absolutely loved it even
though we could have had showers in the RV we preferred not to we just wanted to
be able to like I said get away from each other go to the shower blocks take
our time, have some space we also really liked the facilities because we
designated the motorhome toilet as a number one zone only so it was great to
be able to have toilet blocks to go to when needed it was also
just more convenient when it came time to dump waste and refill the water and
we had really great peace of mind every day that our 12 volt volt battery was
fully charged and we didn't have to worry about a thing we stayed at a total
of five different holiday parks dotted across New Zealand and you guys we
would recommend each of these highly we're gonna link those below for you so
you can click through and check them out and see if they're a good fit for you too
We had a pretty even split between dining out and eating at the motor home
now what we decided to do was after we picked up our motor home in Christchurch
we went to the Countdown supermarket near the airport and we stocked up on
all of our essentials so things like you know olive oil salt pepper bread peanut
butter all of that kind of stuff and we just had a little bit of a food kitty in
the van so we were just buying a couple of days in advance there were plenty of
supermarkets everywhere we went so it was not a problem and by buying small
amounts we didn't feel so guilty then when we stopped for lunch or went
out for dinner now one thing I would recommend is just to make the most of
having all the facilities you need with you when you've got your motor home so
like I said earlier we really enjoyed just pulling up at a really scenic spot
making our lunch and sitting outdoors and enjoying those views it's a really
good way to make the most of it it's going to save you money but most
importantly it's just enjoyable
New Zealand is the adventure destination of
a lifetime you guys if you want to get that adrenaline pumping if you want to
hit the snow this is your destination while we were very focused on our snow
days we also decided to throw in a sky dive with the guys at Skydive Wanaka
which was so, so much fun and there are a wealth of different
activities you can do based out of wanaka you guys so make sure you stick a
couple of those into your itinerary in Queenstown we visited two different ski
fields we went to Coronet Peak and The Remarkables. Now the really cool
thing about Coronet Peak is they have night skiing so you can go up there once
the sun sets it is so much fun they also have these great nights called 'Elevate'
where they have like live music and fire pits and you know pizzas and burgers and
it is just a party up there we got to do one and it was really really fun
Now another thing we did was get the heart pumping with the Nevis Catapult with the
guys at AJ Hackett both Matt and I have done the bungy before we loved it this
time we wanted to do something different and the catapult was really fun one
thing I would say is that you a few are going up there, do more than just the
catapult, I wish we had we had a really fun time
doing it but it's over so quick and you kind of become this adrenaline fiend out
of nowhere and kind of get your confidence up after doing the catapult
and you're like 'I can take on the world'
Do something that scares you
you will not regret it it was so much fun we barely scratched the surface with
activities I would recommend checking out some of the amazing outdoor things
you can do in all the spots you're visiting because there is just no
shortage I mean if you're going to visit Milford Sound for example there are
scenic flights you can take helicopter rides up to glaciers you can go kayaking
you can do Lord of the Rings tours there's snowshoeing there's even
sled dogging... dog sledding? There's backcountry skiing there are so
many different things you guys so make sure you look into it jam pack your
itinerary with activities because of those are the real highlights
Now your flights are probably gonna be one of your major expenses and depending on where
you fly in and out of in our experience flight prices can be different so we
often try to nab sale fares from Brisbane to Christchurch we just find
it's a little bit cheaper than flying into Queenstown typically now this time
we decided to fly with a Air New Zealand we had a really great experience with them
they're really reputable airline in the past we have flown with budget airlines
and we even did this snow trip with carry-on only we did it but it was rough
and I wouldn't recommend it and that's why we went with Air New Zealand we wanted
to make sure we had our checked baggage so we could bring all of our snow gear
with us and no regrets I really liked doing it that way
now if you are flexible on your travel dates I would just say that you might
like to subscribe to your airlines sale kind of notifications that they have
seem to have sale blasts and that way you'll be notified when there is a
sale on flights it's also a free app it's called Hopper, I've used it a few
times and you just put in your travel dates and it lets you know when things
go on sale or what the typically cheapest time to travel is going to be
So how much does a New Zealand Motorhome road trip actually costs
Well we kept a record of all our expenses so that we can share it
with you now a couple of things to keep in mind of course this is just for our
itinerary this is 11 days and 10 nights and it's also for three people
one other thing to keep in mind is that you can keep your costs down or you can
blow them out if you want to simply by choosing a different motorhome, staying
in different places or choosing different activities and lastly you guys
just to let you know all of these prices are in New Zealand dollars
The motorhome rental costs $1600 you guys and that included a $550
package which took our liability down to nil and included extras like snow chains
picnic chairs tables and all of that kind of stuff we spent a total of three
hundred and ninety one dollars on fuel we also opted to go with the Express
return package which was $329 the reason we
decided to go for that is because the New Zealand government charges a
government imposed levy on diesel vehicles and that is calculated based on
the distance that you drive and is charged when you return the vehicle back
so by doing the Express return package you cap that amount at the $329
but it also means you don't have to return the
vehicle full of fuel or with a full gas slash propane tank either
We spoent a total of $676 on RV parks and we spent a total
of $1033 on food. Our activities totalled $1300 pern person
and our flights cost just short of $1300 return for
the two of us from Brisbane to Christchurch. So all up you coul
reasonably be looking at around $4030 for 11 days and 10 nights you guys
And like I said that doesn't include your flights
or activities because those are really quite subjective
Realistically for the amount of time
we were there we really only needed two pairs of jeans two big
snow ski jackets two beanies different bunch of t-shirts thermal underwear and
two pairs of shoes as well as your essentials like you know your sleep wear
your underwear that kind of stuff but guys do not over pack because you really
don't need anywhere near as much stuff as you think
and all of the RV Parks tend to have laundry facilities anyway so you can
keep up with your washing. One thing we really needed that we didn't pack was
slippers because the floor of your RV is cold and you don't want to be wearing
your muddy shoes around the place and dirtying it up and if you can I would
absolutely recommend that you pack into a soft bag not a hardshell suitcase
because when you unpack and take everything out of your bag and put it in
all of the storage spots in the RV which you absolutely have to then you are
stuck with a big hardshell suitcase and very few places to put it so I want to
finish this off by sharing with you our top five tips for having an amazing
Motorhome road trip in New Zealand number one plan your visit outside
school holidays which is what we did this time our last trip we didn't and
what that meant was everything was a little more expensive there was less
availability of some of the places we wanted to go and stay at and the ski
fields were far busier. Number two visit for as long as you can! We were there like
I said for 11 days and it went by so quickly New Zealand is such a big place
there is so much to see and do go for as long as you can in terms of taking time
off work and as long as your budget will allow you guys because trust me when you
get there you'll wish you had longer another tip with time is just to allow a
little bit of extra driving time because your RV won't be as quick as a car
#3. Go for the luxe Motorhome if you can we saw lots of people in
smaller vehicles and it looks like it was a little bit of a tight fit so if
your budget does allow go for something like we did with that Platinum River
Motorhome from Motorhome Republic it was incredible and we just had an amazing
time it felt like a luxury holiday not like we were on a budget and kind of
skimping to save money
#4. The first few days are going to be really
clunky you guys as you get used to the Motorhome life we were all bumping into
each other saying excuse me can I shuffle past and we were just making a
mess and we were so worried about all the things that we had to remember
because when you pick up your motorhome they give you a lot of information and
you're terrified that you're gonna do the wrong thing and blow the whole
motorhome up but trust me you will get the hang of it and your first two days
they will be clunky but after that you will work
like a well-oiled machine you will know all about emptying the waste refilling
the water turning the gas off you will know how to move through that motorhome
without bumping into each other and you will actually develop some really easy
ways to clear up space and keep things clean
New Zealand is the adventure
capital of the world you guys so do something that scares you get outside
your comfort zone go skydiving do a bungee jump do something that challenges
you and brings you out of your shell do something that you're going to look back
on when you're old and grey and be so proud of yourself for doing it because
if there's one spot to do it it's New Zealand all right you guys that is it
from us thank you so much for watching I really hope you enjoyed this video now
if you don't already be sure to subscribe and say kia ora in the comments
below have a great weekend and I will see you next week
Love ya!